peter_m7uk

Just browsing back and thought I'd update.  It passed the MOT just fine 

Thanks for your replies, Ian and Jez!   Is there a way to tell that the rubber is bonded, without talking the suspension apart and trying to turn the tube?  As you can see in the linked images, they appear to be "top hat" bushes where the tube can turn within the rubber. Maybe you'd want grease between the metal tube outer surface and the rubber inner surface? Or would you expect the rubber to be bonded hard to the tube and the "eyes" on the end of a damper? I don't think that's the case, but not really sure..

Hi, quick one about mounting coilspring dampers - My Hood has a set from Gaz, which I mounted over a decade ago and can't remember exactly what I did as it was a hell of a long build !!    Each one has a metal tube in an eye at the ends, where I *think* the bolt through the eye holds that tube absolutely solid so it doesn't move - Similar to mounting wishbones where the poly bush moves around the metal mounting tube, but the tube is also bolted on solid.  I don't think I put any grease on the bolt or bush back then..

The problem is that I now have squeaking and groaning from my suspension, so I e-mailed Gaz and they recommended using some red rubber grease lube.  I was told "Put it around the ends of the bush so it stops any friction on the brackets where the dampers are mounted & then also on the bolt that fits into the bush".  This is a bit different to my understanding, have I cocked up?!   Are the bolts through the damper eyes supposed to locate the tube but allow it to rotate around the bolt?   Or is the bush supposed to rotate around the tube like with poly suspension?

Thanks all for the advice.  I feel fairly confident now to just go to MOT as it is  

Thanks for all the replies.  So yes, my rear fog light turns on with the sidelights or dipped/main beam.   Also, if you turn the lights off and back on again, the fog lamp comes back on again, you don't have to relatch it.   Anyone else's do that??

However, that sounds okay for MOT, which is what I'm interested in  -  MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles - 4. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

On 11/18/2023 at 10:19 AM, Jez Morton said:

When cold somewhere between 1000/1200, then drops to 900 warm.

That's great Jez, really useful, thanks!    After all the things I did with new temperature sensor, new idle valve, new plugs/leads/coil and tightening up the intake manifold bolts, I then looked at adjusting the idle screw on the intake with the figures you just gave me.

I found that it was insensitive if too far one way (permanent low idle speed) or the other (permanent high idle speed), but once I got it in the middle it was pretty sensitive to changes of 20 degrees turn (about 1/16th of a screw turn).  In one position, it idled at 1500rpm cold and 1000rpm hot.  If I turned it just 20 degrees anticlockwise, it changed to just over over 1000rpm cold and just under 1000rpm hot, which sounds identical to yours.

I think I've therefore solved the problem and got the correct idle behaviour back, thanks again!

On 11/17/2023 at 9:04 PM, IanS said:

A long time since I did anything with this setup.

But I recall that the idle speed is controlled by the idle control valve which is prone to sticking. This sticking causes the engine to stall. So adjusting the throttle stop to increase the idle is a common "FIX". Then you need a bit of throttle to start the engine and if it is not to cold this works.

As I recall short time of increased idle was normal on a fully working engine.

Idle valve sticking normally cured by carb cleaner, the valve is closed at any power setting above tickover. Its main use was to improve MPG whilst in start stop driving conditions by having the lowest possible tickover so adjusting the throttle stop just costs you a bit of petrol.

Thanks Ian, but the idle control valve is brand new.   When I changed it, the behaviour was the same as before, so I suspect the old one is actually fine!

I see that the IVA manual section 28 states "The rear fog lamp(s) must only illuminate when dipped beam, main beam or front fog lamps are lit".

However, the MOT inspection manual section 4.5 states "Front and rear fog lamps are permitted to operate independently of any other lamps or ignition systems" and "Rear fog lamps may extinguish when main-beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off".

This says to me that the IVA and MOT rules are different!  The fog lamp can be independent of any other lamp for MOT.   I'm asking because I got an advisory on the fog lamp when I passed the IVA, as it could turn on any time I pressed the button.  My first MOT is due next year, but it seems like this operation is actually okay???

42 minutes ago, Jez Morton said:

I've had an efi in my kit for 15 years and I couldn't tell what it's supposed to be. I know it fuels more when cold so a higher idle is most likely normal. I think efi is more of an electric carb tbh. If its your temp sensor at fault you get high rpm when warm, mine did.

Hi Jez, thanks for the reply.  Out of interest, are you going to run the engine any time soon??  If so, could you look at the rev counter and tell me the speed when you first run cold, please?  If you're going to warm it up as well, then could you give me the rpm when fully warm too?  I don't have anything to compare my engine to, so that would be very helpful.  Thanks 

Thanks for the comments, Alan and Derek.   However, that temperature sensor is brand new (part of the servicing I mentioned) and it returns the correct voltages according to Derek's article!  

This makes me suspect that a lack of high idle speed when cold could be correct!  Which brings us back to my original question - "What is the correct behaviour??"   I can't diagnose anything if I don't know what I'm supposed to be expecting, that is the number 1 key point here..

Hi, I'm not sure if I have a problem with my Pinto 2.0 EFi idle or not, can someone tell me what is the correct behaviour??  It used to idle faster when cold, then drop to 875rpm when warmed up - I thought this was right, as I've seen other engines do similar, but then I read elsewhere online someone saying that was a problem to fix!!    I recently serviced the engine and found that it no longer idles faster when cold, it's just 875rpm all the time - So is this right or wrong?

Just to finish the story on this one.  I tried the new idle control valve, but it didn't help.  I eventually discovered that, in the process of checking everything, I'd bent pins in the air mass flow meter socket, so the air meter was basically disconnected!  Once I straightened the pins up, the engine would idle but again the speed was too high (1500rpm).  As my original problem was a "rough idle", I then fitted new spark plugs, ignition leads and coil.  This made the fast idle smoother but still too fast!   I then was busy for ages and didn't drive the car much or spend much time on it.  Eventually, I came back and did basic checks, including various fasteners around the engine - One thing I tried was tightening up the inlet manifold nuts and bolts and that was the cure!!   There was almost certainly an air leak - None of the manifold nuts or bolts were really loose, but over time maybe the gasket crushed a bit and they needed further tightening.  Combined with the new service items I'd fitted, I now have the expected higher idle speed when cold and a nice smooth idle between 800 and 900 rpm when hot, problem solved 

On 5/30/2022 at 11:51 AM, Grim said:

Where did you get the valve from?

I got it through Amazon

I measured the voltages, but they seemed to be about the right ballpark, so I left it for a while...   Now the engine won't idle at all, never mind when it's cold!   So probably not temperature-related and I've ended up ordering a brand new idle control valve for £35.  I opted not to clean, as I cleaned the existing valve before and it's plumbed in without a connection to the cam cover, fresh air intake only.  It's a 33 year old valve that had already done 100,000+ miles, so let's try a new one!  Fingers crossed that does the job, anyway  

Hi all, to get E5 fuel for my standard 2.0 EFi Pinto, I'm now running on 98 or 99 octane fuel.  Just wondered if anyone had tried advancing their timing with that set up?  I wondered if the ECU and engine would be able to take advantage of the higher octane or not?!

Update - I measured the coolant sensor voltage..  When cold, it was 4.4v.  Just after I started the engine, it actually rose above 5v.  Then when hot, it dropped to around 3.4v.

This is obviously pretty different to the 3.5v cold and 0.5-0.8v hot in the article above!  So I suspect that's the culprit, the voltages are way out of range. Now where do I buy a replacement??  Mine needs a spade connector, but a quick online search so far shows sensors with round connectors...  

Thanks, but the idle valve certainly doesn't seem to be stuck, I'm inclined to look elsewhere before I consider a new one.  I will try measuring the voltages given on page 3 of Derek's article...

4 minutes ago, IanS said:

Idle Air Control valve is sticking.

It is an electricaly controled valve that gives bypass air round the throttle body. (efectivly it changes the throttle stop by allowing more air post the butterfly valve, the ECU takes care of the petrol)

It is held on by 2 screws and has a single electrical connector.

Remove the 2 screws and spray carb cleaner into the body, refit and if I am correct the idle will be back.

Too much carb cleaner is better than not enough, 20 second squirt should do.

Hi Ian, thanks for the suggestion.  It's one thing I'd considered, but doesn't that valve work when the engine is hot as well?  My thinking was that, if it was the idle valve, it would always idle badly, not just when cold..   As it's pretty easy, I will have a look anyway.

Cheers

Hi All,

My Pinto 2.0 EFi idled absolutely fine when cold, until recently.  I used to start it and it would automatically rev at about 1200-1500 rpm until it warmed up a bit, then drop to 800rpm, nice and stable.  These days, I start it and it almost stalls, then the revs pick up for a few seconds, before it almost stalls again, then it finally settles into an 800rpm idle.

Once it's hot the idle is fine, so what's going on specifically when cold?  And where has my initial high idle speed disappeared to??  

Thanks,

Pete

Hi, my seatbelts are TRS 4 point harnesses. which are fine but they can slip off my shoulders at times.   I wondered, is there some sort of aftermarket strap or pad which can be added that connects the top 2 shoulder belts and sits across the chest?   I just thought such an item would help to hold the shoulder belts together so they don't slip off and might make things a bit more comfortable and safer.

I thought it would do a job like the cross-strap shown at this link - https://www.sickspeed.com/products/4-point-3-nylon-racing-harness-shoulder-pad-safety-seat-belt-buckle

Cheers 

On 4/8/2021 at 9:11 PM, maca said:

Fitted a 3pc Valeo clutch to my 2 lt pinto injection, not had a problem with it.

Was about £90 back in 2016/2017.

That's exactly the same as my existing one!   Only thing is I bought it 2nd hand from eBay years ago and I don't know the history (the release bearing was new).   It's probably absolutely fine, it's just that the engine and gearbox are out due to a clunking noise when I raise the clutch to bite point after everything has warmed up.   I've had the gearbox rebuilt, I'm changing the spigot bearing in the end of the crank, so I thought why not a brand new clutch and release bearing to be definitely on the safe side!

I collected an LUK clutch kit today, for the injection engine.   It has the short spring "fingers" like the original and the Burton heavy duty one, so I'm very happy 

As my engine and gearbox are out at the moment, I've been looking for any other jobs to do.   I decided to buy a new clutch kit, but I was faced with a choice of which engine type.  Mine is N4A, as it's the 2.0 EFi, but the closest I was offered by the auto factor was N4B, which is the lower powered one with a catalyst.

Now I'm unsure whether the clutch I already had one was the correct one anyway!  And which one to buy now.   Looking at my pic of the original donor clutch, which I binned, the central spring "fingers" are quite short, like the one here - https://www.onlineautomotive.co.uk/car-parts/Ford/Sierra/2.0L/Petrol/National-Auto-Parts/Transmission/Clutch-Kits-and-Parts/CK9001/1/497.  Also, I notice that one has 4 large springs in the friction disc.   The pressure plate looks more like this "heavy duty" one - https://www.burtonpower.com/helix-hd-clutch-cover-ford-sohc-pinto-2-0-215mm-60-2851.html

Whereas my current clutch is more like this - https://www.burtonpower.com/luk-std-clutch-kit-ford-2-0-sohc-pinto-215mm-622017506.html - with longer "fingers" and 6 smaller springs in the friction disc.

I'm wondering, did I fit the wrong clutch?!    The non EFi engines only went up to 99hp, whereas my EFi has 114hp, so maybe it was supposed to have a heavier duty version??

Aha, cheers!  They're already in there from the original rebuild, I checked my old pictures, I just couldn't remember 

On 4/5/2021 at 7:46 PM, peter_m7uk said:

Hi, I used a cork gasket on my Pinto sump, but wasn't happy with it as I thought it was a bit leaky.   Hard to be certain, though, as I think I had other leaks above it!

Anyway, as my engine is out at the moment for a different reason, I thought I'd take the opportunity to buy a "competition" sump gasket from Burton and give that a try instead - https://www.burtonpower.com/sump-gasket-set-heavy-duty-ford-sohc-pinto-ft793kc.html.   Apparently, if there is a leak, oil makes the gasket material swell at that point and should stop the leak.

Thing is, now I've fitted it, it seems quite thin and I can see a wave along the joint, particularly in one place.   I ran a feeler gauge there and there was a small but definite gap in the seal.  Has anyone else tried this gasket and how was your experience??  I realise that the sump edge material can bend, also the bolts can distort the material when tightened, both of which can compromise the seal.   I had an idea to use a small piece of wood of the correct size, with a rubber mallet, then go right around the sump edge tapping it to try and close all the gaps - Anyone tried something like that?   What are the chances that the blue gasket material can swell enough to close a gap?

Pete 

PS  Do you see the 2 little white bits of plastic in the burton gasket kit?  What are they supposed to be for??  

On 4/6/2021 at 8:02 PM, Peter Bell said:

I have done similar bashing on cam covers, they distort if they are overtightened. But I think you will need a bit more than a piece of wood and a rubber mallet to encourage it to move, a steel chaser and a biggish hammer against a steel plate

I'll see what I can do.  The metal is relatively thin around the sump edge, though.   Another thought I had was to loosen all the bolts off again without them coming out, so the whole sump drops several mill.  Then smear a thin layer of gasket sealant, as Bob says, all the way around the gap and retighten.